Janus Lalandii
The West Coast lobster is a slow growing animal which only moults once per year and takes approximately 6-9 years to reach the legal size limit of 80mm carapace length.
Large lobsters have few predators other than man and for this reason they are believed to be capable of living to ages of 50 years or more under natural
conditions. In contrast to the adults, small lobsters have a high natural mortality rate, with their key predators being fish and octopuses.
Probably one of the biggest challenges to those responsible for the management of the resource is the control of illegal activities. The high value of the product leads to an active and often highly
organized illegal trade. Operators in this trade are unscrupulous, paying no regard to the numerous conservational measures to protect the resource.
